£13m Wakefield district roads investment plan approved

The funding will pay for 130 improvement projects have been identified across all 21 council wards.

The local authority is responsible for maintaining 1,454km of roads, 1,944km of footpaths and 150km of cycle lanes.

The council’s cabinet agreed to accept £8.7m of West Yorkshire Combined Authority funding and spend a further £4.6m of its own funds to complete the projects.

Work is planned for roads, footpaths, bridges, drainage infrastructure and traffic signals.

Matthew Morley, cabinet member for planning and highways, told a meeting: “Everyone has got an opinion on the highways.

“On how they should be run, how they shouldn’t be run, what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong.”

“I want to assure all residents that this money will go to the betterment of the district.

“It will be well spent and it will improve our highways.

“It is difficult, as we know.

“We have rising costs, with escalation of prices for materials.”

“But we will invest this money wisely.”

A report to cabinet members said: “Recent performance figures for road condition show a comparatively high standard when compared regionally and nationally, however, the funding secured is still resulting in a ‘managed decline’ position given the increases in inflation and resources costs.”

“An inadequately maintained network can present a danger to highway users, create congestion and pollution through unplanned road works, cause a detrimental impact on the local economy, and lead to an increase in ‘third party’ claims against the council for vehicle damage and personal injury.”

For the first time in 2023, the council has used a new artificial intelligence system to identify and record highway defects and failures.

Last year, the council narrowly missed some of its own pothole targets following delays in starting some road repairs.

A council report in March 2022 detailing the state of the district’s highways blamed supply and delivery issues for the shortcomings.